Thought my Tacoma was done with this weekend

Well i usually sell fireworks every fourth of July so this weekend i was coming back home pulling a 6' x 12' Uhaul trailor with all my tables, fireworks, etc. in the back. Well it was about 1a.m. and after sleeping in the truck all week i was ready to get home so i me and my cousin who was helping me was loading all the stuff up. After we got the Uhaul sitting on the ball i left my cousin there to hook up the lights and chains and everything so i could finish loading all the stuff up.. Only to find out a few miles down the road that he didn't turn the knob on top of the hitch to lock it down onto the ball.

So heading down the road, the Uhaul bumps up off of the hitch and all i feel is my rear end being kicked back and forth across the road. As i tried to slow it down only thing i could think about was don't slam on the brakes because i didn't want it to ram into the rear of my truck. As the Uhaul was swerving back and forth i could feel and hear it slamming into the back of my truck. After i finally came to a stop and got out i couldn't stand getting ready to see the whole rear end of my truck tore apart. But as i took a look, the rear of the truck had not 1 scratch or dent anywhere!! I got up underneath the truck to see of the tounge of the trailor was maybe banging the rear end or bottom of my truck but still could not find a scratch! Only thing that was connected when i came to a stand still was one of the two chains holding the Uhaul to my truck. IDK if God was on my side or all of those old Toyota Sea Monster and girfriends trying to destroy their husbands truck commercials are actually true.. Either way thank god me and my truck were ok!

P.S. Always double check when someone is messing or working with your stuff!


Cliffnotes:

Uhaul came off hitch
Slammed into rear of truck over and over
Thought i was going to cry after i seen the damage
Not a scratch on it!
Check yo self, before you wreck yo self.!

 

Live and learn. Looks like the remaining chain kept the trailer tongue from doing serious damage.

I backed into a metal post the first week after getting the truck (post was below tailgate height, wasn't watching the backup camera). No damage.

 

Yea no doubt.. I mean we haul trailors racing fourwheelers and motorcycles all the time. I guess where it was so late and i was so tired i didn't pay much attention to it.. I have no idea what the uhaul was hitting or bouncing on. I guess the pavement but i just knew it was the rear end of my truck..

 

I have super OCD when it comes to stuff like that. My wife laughs at men when she sees me checking something 30000 times.

 

Glad everything worked out. Thanks for the cliff notes.

 

I allow myself a little paranoia about trailer set-up. I usually stop and check it after a couple of blocks, and then again after a few miles.

What happened to the second safety chain?

 

x2... I always stop at the bottom of my street and recheck everything. I've had a trailer fall off before and it did a lot of damage. I also never let anyone hook my trailer up as that is how it fell off.

Glad you came out with it w/ no damage. You were lucky, I smashed the bumper and one of the tail lights of my Dads truck.

 

Yes very lucky it didn't do anything, I am still sitting back and wondering how it didnt tear my whole truck up two days later.

The 2nd chain came off after it it started bouncing aroud a couple times.

 

you win




ps, what is up with your sig!?

 

That's why I like to use a quick link. Just hanging the hooks on the hitch never felt safe to me.

 

Sounds like what happend to my buddy and his dad... towing their airboat the tounge of the trailer hit his axle.... not a good day. Glad your story didnt end like his.

 

I always somehow run my chains around something before I go through the hooks. On my ranger I could run them under the license plate and then to the hooks. I forget how I do it on the taco, been awhile since I towed, but I always make sure they're not just 'hooked' there and can easily fall off.

Also, if you have any slack in your chains you should twist them a little bit so that when tongue falls onto it, its still very solid and had little room to swing. I've had the tongue come off like you had once before and it was much less eventful because it was still pretty tight in the chains.

 

That might be the tiny bit that saved it. The chains were wrapped around the tounge about 2-3 times before they were hooked into the slots.